This is a guide about the basics of Throne of Lies. Just the basics you better know before you play.
1.Introduction
Throne of Lies is a deception game with different factions…
1.Blue Dragon
2.Unseen or Cult
as well as the lone killers
Reaper and Possessor
and other Neutrals
Blue Dragon and one of the evil factions(Unseen and Cult) will always spawn, and if you are playing with 16 people then there will be at least one of the two lone killers(Reaper and Possessor).
There will be also Neutrals who have different goals and who do not need to kill their enemy factions.
At the start you belong to one of these factions or the Neutrals; and I will give the basic info on what you have to do with them now.
The game alternates between a night phase and a day phase. Evil kills happen at night(normally). At the day, the people can vote someone up and kill them.
As long as you are alive you can write anything you like(you should include your (fake or not) results)
If someone is found* killed, their journal shows up
Lastly, every game has a King who is visible from the start and has a random alignment you cannot investigate. It can affect voting and has 3 guards to protect anyone at night(including the King itself).
If the King is found* dead while 5 or more players are alive a new King will be elected upon those with the passive Royal Blood or, if those dont step up, upon all those who are alive.
- Factions:
2.1 General:
If you belong to a faction then you have to do everything to make your faction win. Asking for anything or trying to archieve anything that would go against your factions goal is not allowed(per the rules, actually). You need to get rid of all enemies, but Neutrals who do not have to harm you do not need to be gotten rid of unless they try to harm you(but you can get rid of them if you want)
2.2. The evil main factions(Unseen and Cult):
They know their team members, and they have one class that can convert others into their faction(Mastermind, Cult Leader). They start out in the minority. They have the power to kill.
As you are in the minority, you need to fake a Blue Dragon class as if you were that one… to avoid getting executed at day.
2.2.1.:Unseen:
Unseen starts with a Mastermind who can only convert each day. A sucessful conversion triggers a 1-day cooldown. And it starts with the assassin who can poison people at day, and who can kill or gather poison at night. The full list of possible classes is avaliable ingame. Your maximum size is 3, and no one will replace the Mastermind after Night 3(which means that after Mastermind dies you have only 2 members max and wont get more!). Poison is useful against people who could be guarded or are Night Immune and such… but beware: Poisoning is public, and a Physician(if there) can heal people, so be careful with your strategy. Otherwise just kill(but thats hazardous too ofc, and can be spotted)
2.2.2 : Cult:
Cult starts with a Cult Leader that can convert each day, with a 1-day cooldown upon success. And with a seeker who can look for classes and alignments. Cult Leader can kill 2 people and 2 more if he sacrifices a Cult member. There arent many Cult classes and they are all listed ingame. Your maximum size is 4, and your Cult leader will be always replaced when found* dead. You have limited kills and your people are expedient, but be careful to get those you cant convert especially the Prince or the Paladin. Most cult classes cannot viably claim their previous class…
2.3. Blue Dragon: You dont know each other. You have the majority at the beginning, and you have some classes who can kill at night(unfortunately also team members or themselves). You must use your abilities and your ability to read gameplay behaviour to execute Evils for treason(except the Fool who wants to be executed and harms you) or to kill them at night(if possible). Your main killer is the Prince who can detain and kill people at night, and your second main member is the main Investigator, the Paladin(vs Cult) or the Sheriff(vs Unseen). Your main members cannot be converted, the others can(but you must not ask for conversion, ever, no matter if you can personally win or not).
Fake claims and journals are not prohibited, but please use them only if you think that revealing your real class or journal would harm the Blue Dragon more than your lies(and they can be quite harmful!)
3.Neutrals
3.1. The Neutral Killers:
You are alone. No allies, and everyone is an enemy(except some Neutrals)You need to kill the Blue Dragon AND the main evil faction AND the other Neutral Killer.
You can only derivate from that goal if you are trying to promote yourself into the next King(which changes your goal into Survival)
You need to have a very good fakeclaim and Journal, because no one likes you.
Keep the arms race between Blue Dragon and the main Evil faction close. A Cult steamroll is bad news, dont overdo killing Blue Dragon… which means you need to use behaviour analysis to find those who are likely bad or not bad.
3.1.1.Possessor:
The Possessor can possess someone and can be found out by investigatives. Whenever the Possessor leaves its old body it leaves the most recent journal(possibly edited by the Possessor) and the original class of the body behind(even if the Possessor leaves the body due to death!(which means it dies and loses)).
3.1.2.Reaper:
You can kill someone and they will be an empty corpse the next day and *found the following day. You gain a soul for each kill and you use 1 soul for surviving each kill attempt against you and you can use 2 souls to pierce nightkill immunities.
You can also force someone to speak to the Dead at day, but that makes your presence known.
Be careful to get any possessor out your way before its too late, and get rid of occupying classes as they are a weakness. Remember that those corpses count for the required votecount!
3.2 Non-killing Neutrals
You can see them ingame(including the ingame guide):
The Alchemist and the Neutral King need to survive, the Mercenary has to ensure survival of their target(they can have one, and only one replacement target), the Fool wants to be executed for treason, and the Scorned wants to get 3 people killed.
No one is truly on your side and they might kill you(even your target, if you are Mercenary) but you can usually work with every faction if they and you want( except Fool: usually only evils)depending on the circumstances.
Of all Neutrals, only the Mercenary can be converted.
Every Neutral(even the killers!) can be promoted into the Neutral King, and you may always seek promotion into The King.
As Neutral you usually need a good(Fool: A spurious claim that does NOT look like a fool claim) fakeclaim to meet your goal, but you do not need to lie(and shouldn’t) if lying would be bad for you.
